Yesterday, the Tax Court issued a full Tax Court Opinion, with concurring and dissenting opinions, finding that an IRS letter was sufficient to confer jurisdiction upon the Tax Court. SECC Corporation v. Commissioner, 142 T.C. No. 12. The controversy arose from an IRS...
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A Bit on Bitcoins
The IRS has provided information on the treatment of virtual currency, which is not considered currency at all. Virtual currency is treated as property for U.S. Federal tax purposes and as such, may be subject to ordinary or capital treatment depending on the...
Tax Court remands case for IRS to consider an offer in compromise for effective tax administration
Last week, the Tax Court remanded a collection due process case to the IRS Appeals Office for consideration of an offer in compromise (OIC) on the grounds that the IRS had failed to adequately consider whether the OIC promoted effective tax administration. Bogart v....
IRS Reminder of Option for $1,500 Home Office Deduction
The Internal Revenue Service today reminded people with home-based businesses that this year for the first time they can choose a new simplified option for claiming the deduction for business use of a home. In tax year 2011, the most recent year for which figures...
Act Now! Revised FATCA Final Regs and 2014 Forms are Available!
The following FATCA Forms and Instructions for 2014 are now available on the IRS.GOV Forms and Publications Website:Form 1042 Form 8966 Form W-8BEN Instructions to Form W-8BEN Form W-8ECI• Instructions to Form W-8ECIClick here to access IRS.GOV Forms and...
Tax Court provides chapter-by-chapter refutations of popular tax protester book “Cracking the Code”
Today the U.S. Tax Court issued an interesting opinion which provides a chapter-by-chapter refutation of Peter Hendrickson's book "Cracking the Code: The Fascinating Truth About Taxation in America." Waltner v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2014-35. Cracking the Code is...
IRS statistics continue to show increase in individual income tax refunds for the 2014 filing season compared to 2013
Today the IRS released statistics today regarding individual income tax returns filed so far during the 2014 filing season, an update from statistics released last week. The statistics reflect that 31,308,000 returns filed so far in 2014 showed refunds, up from...
IRS Issues Criminal Investigation Report – Investigations, Prosecutions and Convictions are up, while Agent Resources were Cut
The IRS released its annual Criminal Investigation report today concerning fiscal year 2013. The Criminal Investigation Division initiated over 5,000 cases and recommended over 4,300 for prosecution; the conviction rate of those cases prosecuted was 93 percent. This...
IRS Issues the Annual “Dirty Dozen” List of Tax Scams for 2014
Today the IRS issued the annual "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams for 2014, in which the IRS compiles a variety of common scams that taxpayers can encounter. See IR-2014-16. The release notes that while taxpayers can encounter these scams at any point during the year,...
Court of Appeals holds that the IRS does not have the authority to regulate tax return preparers
On Tuesday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the IRS had exceeded its statutory authority when it attempted to regulate tax return preparers. Loving v. Internal Revenue Service, No. 13-5061 (Feb. 11, 2014).The Secretary of the...

